The subject invention relates to hinge lid cigarette packets comprising first and second, opposing lids.
In the tobacco industry so-called hinge lid packets are widely used for the packaging of cigarettes. These packets comprise a body, essentially in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, and a lid hingedly secured at the upper end of the body. It is usual for such packets to further comprise a neck part which projects upwardly from the front and side walls of the body such as to be received within the lid when the lid is in the closed position thereof.
There have also become known hinge lid packets comprising two lids, these being respectively disposed at the upper and lower ends of the body.
An example of a hinge lid cigarette packet comprising two lids is disclosed in EP 380 898. The blank for this packet is of a generally T configuration with the "stem" of the T comprising a minor portion of the blank. At either end of the major portion of the blank (the "crossing" of the T) are disposed those panels which provide the lids in the erected packet. In the erected packet one side wall of the body is comprised of two, superimposed panels, i.e. it is of double thickness, whereas the other side wall of the body is provided by only one panel, i.e. it is of single thickness. By contrast, both side walls of each of the lids are of double thickness. Thus the erected pack is of an unattractive inherent asymmetry. Furthermore, the T configured blank is, in comparison to the generally rectangular blank of a conventional hinged lid packet, wasteful of cartonboard.
Disclosed in EP 625 469 is a packet blank for a two lidded hinge lid packet intended for holding special cigarettes. Although this packet can be produced from a packet blank which is generally of a rectangular configuration, the erected packet is not strictly symmetrical in construction since, as with the packet of EP 380 898, one of the body side walls is of single thickness and the other is of double thickness.
Known from U.S Pat. No 5,074,412 is a cigarette packed with upper and lower hinged lids and comprising a wall which serves to divide the interior of the body into upper and lower chambers.